Zesty Crockpot Chicken with Couscous

Renee from one of my favorite forums posted this chicken recipe the other day and I knew I would have to try it. I love a good slow cooker recipe and we eat so much chicken we could cluck (and that’s not a complaint, it’s just the way it is).

The recipe is simple (another one of my favorite things) and it didn’t disappoint. I served it with couscous that I cooked with the broth and onions from the chicken. Yum!

Cook according to the package directions, except instead of water use the broth and onions from the chicken. Couscous cooks in about 5 minutes, making it perfect for a busy night.

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Please forgive me for this picture of the chicken. Chickens are not photogenic. Plus, I somehow cooked this one upside down, which didn’t help it’s beauty a bit. And you can see where we stabbed it with the fork to get it out of the crockpot. Have I made you hungry with that description? On the plus side, the spices made it look colorful, rather than the bland look a slow cooked chicken usually has.

Comments

I did have leftover chicken. I bought a big chicken so that I would. I just took it off the bones and pulled it apart a bit so that it would be ready for a casserole, then froze it in a ziplock bag. To use it, I’ll pop it in the microwave for a minute and then add it to the casserole or soup or whatever I need it in. I love having cooked chicken in the freezer.

You can definitely crockpot chicken breasts. I do it all the time. It won’t take as long to cook them as doing a whole chicken, unless you have a lot and they have bones in them. The boneless seem to cook faster.

Crystal, that sounds really good! Quesadillas are great too, because you can tailor them to the person. If likes just the chicken and cheese, it’s easy to make them that way. I may try this for dinner tonight with that left over chicken.

I found this exact recipe online this week and made it. I used bone-in chicken breasts and it turned out great. After deboning the cooked chicken, I put the bones back in the broth, added 2 cups of water and cooked on high in the crockpot for 4 -5 hours. It made a great broth/stock. I then froze the broth in 2 cup containers to use to make couscous, rice, etc. I got 4 – 2 cup containers.

This leftover chicken would make great great quesadillas. Thanks for the idea!

I’ve been making this for a couple years now and it’s one of my favorite recipes from your site. 🙂 We have ..

* served it over rice, couscous, or quinoa.
* put it on a bed of spinach and added some chopped tomatoes for zesty chicken salad.
* used it in quesadillas.
* eaten in fresh from the crockpot.
* frozen it for future meals.
* made broth from the carcass and liquid.
* mixed it up with pasta and spinach for zesty chicken pasta.
* eaten it plain.

I love how it tastes and how good it makes our home smell when it’s cooking. Thanks again for this fantastic recipe!

Can you cook with boneless chicken breasts? I am not a fan of bones so I avoid them – will I need to tailor the recipe any? And can you tell me what size crock pot you use for your recipes – I have a 6 quart, am a beginner cook – very beginner, I burn water – and am trying very hard to lose 150 lbs so am looking for good recipes.

Andrea, yes you can make it with boneless chicken breasts. I use a 6 quart slow cooker. The key to not overcooking is to have the crock fairly full. If it isn’t full, then reduce the cooking time. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

I think I’ll try this with just chicken breasts. It’s summer, and I’m lazy, and I just don’t want to mess with a whole chicken. 🙂 Walmart has big packages of chicken breasts for $1.99 lb. I divide them into the amounts my family needs for a meal, and freeze in ziplocks.